Are you willing to give it all? In a profession like journalism, those reading or watching what you publish are trusting you are giving all the facts available so they may receive the truth on a subject. A writer has the responsibility to present correct information to the masses so they may be well informed. What happens when that job requirement also puts your life on the line? Would you tell the truth even at the risk of death?
Everything has a price, even the news. Currently there is a situation in Libya involving several journalists and politians. According to the Huffpost Media, many guards and pro-Gaddafi supporters are holding many journalists and politicians hostage in what has been termed “the siege of Rixos hotel.”
It has been reported that supplies are running scarce, but the guards aren’t budging. They have made it very clear to the prisoners that leaving is not an option, at least not doing so alive. Tensions are high and the anticipation of how to get out of this situation is overwhelming the frightened reporters. This, I feel I could say, is a situation in which most would not ever want to find themselves.
So my question is, is it worth it? We here in America are accustomed to having what we want when we want. We have a variety of sources these days to keep us up to date on the most necessary information as well as irrelevant nonsense. Someone out there is needed to get those stories out to the rest of us. However, would you be willing to risk your life for that responsibility?
It is true that bad news makes the best news. We are intrigued by stories that shock us and leave our mouths hanging open. Most of those do not come about with happy endings. These stories are dangerous to cover, and sometimes even more dangerous to publish. These journalists have obviously put themselves in harm’s way so that we, over here, may understand what is going on in the rest of the world, so that we may see what the rest of the world is really like and how it differs from our “normalcy.”
Many have died in the past trying to get the truth out there. Just in the last year in Libya, two photojournalists were killed covering a battle between rebels and the government. Others were also wounded in the process. This is not a new concept. Even in biblical times many were murdered for proclaiming the truth of scripture. They were journalists of sorts, sharing the good news. There were people who did not want that to happen; they didn’t want truth out there so they put an end not to reality, but the person talking about it.
The same is true for those who are getting the truth out today. Lives are put in danger and even lost so that we may understand what is going on outside our suburbs and college campuses.  These journalists currently held in Libya are not the first to be captured for searching for truth.
Many times we watch TV, read our newspapers and check our tweets for the latest news. We see what is happening all over the world — wars, famine, starvation, death — and yet we read it as if it is a nonfiction novel written to surprise us, maybe even keep us on our toes. 
Do we ever truly let it sink in that the horror stories we read about are someone’s reality? Someone is living that nightmare; someone must write about that nightmare. 
So if it were your responsibility to get the truth out there, would you do it? Would you risk everything you were so someone on the other side of the world knew about the starving child next to you, or the crippled father who was beaten by rebels telling you his story?  There are many that would say, “Yes, let me live for something important, something worthwhile.” There are others who want to watch the news, shed a tear and continue on with life.
Sarah Ulmer is a junior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].